Amazon Fire HD 8 review: is this budget tablet worth buying?
What is the Amazon Fire HD 8?
Amazon is well-known for a number of reasons. It isn't just a go-to online retailer because of its competitive prices and quick delivery through Amazon Prime, it is also the company responsible for Kindle, along with some of the best budget tablets and best kids tablets on the market.
Amazon's tablets fall under the Fire brand, with the Fire HD 8 sitting in the middle of the portfolio. The Fire HD 8 (2024) is an 8-inch tablet with an HD display. It sits alongside the Fire HD 10, Fire Max 11 and the Fire 7 within Amazon's tablet range, which is considerably more affordable than the likes of Apple's iPad or Samsung's Galaxy Tabs.
The Fire HD 8 costs a penny shy of £100 with adverts, though you can pay £10 extra to have no adverts. There is also a specific Fire HD 8 Kids version of the device that comes with a child-friendly bumper case, six months of Amazon Kids+ and a two-year worry-free guarantee.
Is the Amazon Fire HD 8 a good buy if you're in the market for a tablet under £100?
How we test tablets
I've been reviewing consumer technology for 12 years and in that time, I've seen a broad range of tablets, from Apple and Samsung's premium offerings, to models from OnePlus, Lenovo and Amazon's budget-friendly options. When we test a tablet, we primarily consider five key testing metrics: design, display, performance, battery and software and AI. We also test cameras, but while the front camera is important for video calls, I would always recommend using your smartphone if you want the best image results.
Testing tablets is more than just numbers on a spreadsheet, however. We use each tablet we review for a long period, spending time watching movies, making notes and playing games to test battery life, processing power, software capabilities and screen quality. Sound performance and ease of use have been taken into account too and for Amazon's Fire HD 8 specifically, I have also tested the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids model.
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Design: 7/10
The Amazon Fire HD 8 has a simple, no-thrills design but in some ways that's a good thing. There's no aluminium frame like you'll find on even Apple's entry-level iPad and there are no fancy inclusions like a stylus in the box as you'll find with many of Samsung's Galaxy Tabs either. You also won't find an official IP rating so you'll need to keep this tablet away from the beach, bath or swimming pools.
What you do get from the Fire HD 8's plastic design is a surprisingly solid build quality. It is basic, but there's a textured finish on the back that's tactile in the hand while offering a decent amount of grip and the 8-inch size is lovely and compact – something I said of the iPad mini 7 too. The edges of this tablet are also slightly curved, which makes a nice change from flat edges you'll find on the Galaxy Tab S10 series and Apple's iPads.
When held in a landscape orientation, there's a microSD slot on the bottom for storage expansion (something you will likely need), while speakers are positioned at the top. The power button, volume buttons and USB-C port for charging are all on the right edge, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Display: 7/10
The Amazon Fire HD 8 has an 8-inch display with an HD (1,280 x 800 pixel) resolution, which effectively leads to an average screen overall. It's an LCD panel so you don't get the same inky blacks and pops of colour that you do with an OLED panel, but you won't come across an OLED panel within the Fire HD 8's price bracket either. Even the iPad Air (M3) that costs five times the price of this tablet has an LCD panel.
The bezels around the display are thick, though this does give you somewhere to place your thumbs when watching content so their chunkiness can be somewhat forgiven. The brightness of the Fire HD 8 is also more than adequate for indoor use, though take it outside into the sunshine and you may notice some glare as there is no anti-reflective coating here.
Performance: 7/10
Just as the Fire HD 8's display is fairly average, so too is its performance. Amazon doubled the memory (RAM) for this model compared to its predecessor and the Fire HD 8 is capable enough of running day-to-day tasks, whether that's browsing the web through the Amazon Silk browser or controlling smart home devices through Alexa.
If you're looking for a tablet with slick performance however, you'll need to pay a little more as the Fire HD 8 doesn't deliver that. Apps can be slow to load, switching between tasks and profiles takes a couple of seconds and you might encounter the occasional freezing of an app too. All that said, the Fire HD 8 is a great tablet for streaming video content on the various streaming platforms and running casual games, you just need to be mindful of its limitations and I advise connecting up a pair of headphones over using the built-in speakers.
Battery life: 8/10
The Amazon Fire HD 8 does a decent job when it comes to battery life and while I didn't get the touted 13 hours during my testing, it lasted over 10 hours and sometimes 11 hours depending on what I was asking of it each day. That's certainly not bad and it will easily see you through a commute to and from work, or an evening watching content on the sofa, or browsing the web.
Where the Fire HD 8 could improve on the battery front is charging speeds. It's not surprising given its price but if you use the 5W adapter that's included in the box, it will take around 5 hours for this tablet to charge. It supports 15W wired charging so if you have a faster charger at home, you can halve the charging time. That's something you'll want to consider if you're expecting the same charging experience as you get with a smartphone.
Software and AI: 7/10
The Fire HD 8 runs Amazon's Fire OS, which is simple and easy enough to navigate but it's more restricted than iPadOS and Android tablets that offer access to the Google Play app store. Most of the streaming apps you might want are available, including Netflix and Disney+, but there are some apps missing like Google's Calendar and Chrome, neither of which are offered through Amazon's App Store and sometimes you'll find a slightly older version of an app compared to Android or Apple.
You will also encounter adverts and sponsored content on the lock screen if you haven't paid the extra £10 for the model without ads. If you're considering this tablet for a child however, the software allows for easy switching between adult and child profiles – something iPads don't – and the child profile locks everything down including available apps in the Amazon App Store. I would recommend choosing the specific Kids version however as the included case and Amazon Kids+ subscription makes it better value than buying those separately.
Technical specifications
I've compared the Amazon Fire HD 8 to the Fire HD 10 because there are a couple of differences between these two affordable tablets, other than size and cost that are worth considering when choosing one of Amazon's Fire tablets.
Telegraph verdict: 7/10
The Amazon Fire HD 8 is an excellent budget tablet that's great for playing casual games and watching content. The screen is average, performance is quite slow and Amazon's user interface isn't as good as Apple's iPadOS or native Android, but the design is solid and battery life is good.
The compact build makes it portable, while the Amazon App Store has most of the top streaming apps, a number of games and apps like the Kindle app. It's not the most powerful budget tablet around or the smoothest performer but as a day-to-day tablet, the Fire HD 8 is one of the best in its affordable price range and it's excellent value.
FAQs
Amazon Fire HD 8 vs Fire HD 10
The Amazon Fire HD 8 is smaller and more compact than the Fire HD 10, offering an 8-inch display over a 10-inch display, as well as the option of more RAM.
The Fire HD 8 is lighter than the Fire HD 10. Claimed battery life is the same between the two models at 13 hours, but the Fire HD 10 has a higher resolution display than the Fire HD 8 and it charges faster too.
Is the Fire HD 8 good for streaming?
Yes, the Fire HD 8 is a great tablet for streaming, as long as you aren't looking for the highest quality screen to watch your favourite series on.
Can you play games easily on the Fire HD 8?
Yes, the Fire HD 8 is a great tablet for playing casual games, whether Candy Crush or a crossword.
What is the battery life of the Amazon Fire HD 8?
Amazon claims the Fire HD 8 battery life is around 13 hours, which is the same as offered on the Fire HD 10 too.
Is the Fire HD 8 suitable for kids?
Yes, you can set up a child's profile on the Fire HD 8. There is also a specific Kids version of the Fire HD 8 too, which comes with a protective case, six months of Amazon Kids+ and a two-year worry-free guarantee.
Can you use the Fire HD for reading?
Yes, you can use the Fire HD 8 for reading. The Kindle app is available on the Amazon App Store so you can access thousands of books through that.
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